Dress Blues
by Orion'sProdigy
Summary: Without quite meaning to, Itachi learns something that probably shouldn't be so surprising about Kakashi. AU


**A/N: This is loosely inspired by an episode of NCIS. It fits into the continuity of an AU fic I've been working on for some time now in which Kakashi is a mechanic, semi-retired from military special ops; it's set in a random Japan-esque country in more modern times. It is, as will become obvious, an Itachi/Kakashi fic. That should provide all the context that is needed, I think; you could probably read it even without that, but I digress...if anyone is interested, I'll consider starting to post the AU fic itself; it's nearly done...meh. It's not my best piece, but I felt like posting (for once). Please enjoy.**

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Arms full of groceries, Itachi fit his key into the lock of the apartment door, turning it with a quiet scrape and thud of his purchases against the solid wood. Tugging the key free, he caught the handle and shouldered the door open, leaving it to close behind him as he carried the bags over to the kitchenette and settled them on the tiny counter-space gingerly.

"I brought more milk and cereal, so you can stop skipping breakfast again," he called upon noticing the light under the bathroom door; he set about putting away the groceries, tucking cold items into the fridge and the rest into whatever available space there was in the various cupboards (making a mental note to schedule another cleaning day).

"Aa...don't know where I'd be without you." Kakashi's voice drifted out from the bathroom, the sink running for a moment and then the door creaking as it opened.

"Probably eating Spaghettios three times a day," Itachi mused, the corner of his mouth quirking up as he emerged from the depths of a cupboard, turning to the older man as he straightened; he blinked as he took in Kakashi's appearance, caught off guard. "Did I miss something?"

"Hm? Oh, this..." The silver haired man gestured vaguely at the dress uniform he was clad in, mask crinkled around his neck as he'd neglected to pull it up; his free hand ran through his hair, sticking up and contrasting oddly with the military neatness of his wardrobe. "Minato insists I go to some veteran's ceremony or something tonight..."

"Aa..." Itachi let his eyes skim over the man's form once. "You look good."

And he meant it. The cut of the jacket accentuated Kakashi's broad shoulders and narrow waist, the precise neatness of the pieces (seams lined up and cuffs neatly folded, shoes shined to glossy black perfection) lending the Hatake an air of professional authority that his usual laid back demeanor lacked.

Kakashi smiled a little, his eyes twinkling with amusement suddenly.

"What's that about a man in uniform?" he teased gently, approaching the Uchiha to brush his lips over his temple.

Itachi rolled his eyes even as the tips of his ears heated, and he prodded at Kakashi's shoulder in gentle reprimand.

"Do you want dinner before you go?" Itachi asked as he pecked his cheek and turned back to the last of the groceries. "I can make something quick..."

"Mah...I kind of have to leave in about five minutes. And I think dinner will be provided," the Hatake replied with a disarming crinkle of his eyes and a shrug. His expression became a little more serious as Itachi turned to scold him for waiting so long to get ready and paused. "...will you come with me? Minato wouldn't mind if I brought you..."

Itachi tilted his head slightly, taking a moment to decipher his expression. He knew Kakashi was just as averse to situations of public scrutiny as himself, and he wondered suddenly just what kind of event this was going to be. Minato was always careful to respect Kakashi's boundaries, especially when it came to the service, so it must have been an exceptionally important event for him to insist Kakashi attend...

"...give me a moment to change," Itachi nodded finally, heading for the closet to dig out some of his more formal work clothes (he'd simply started stashing a few sets at Kakashi's apartment, because he'd gotten tired of Kisame's remarks on wearing the same clothes twice in a row).

He kept his badge on his belt, swiftly pulling on a blazer and a tie over the dress shirt he'd been wearing. He'd come from work as it was, but he tended to forgo his blazer for a long overcoat in the winter months for convenience's sake.

Kakashi waited patiently by the door, pulling his mask into place and then letting his eyes drift up toward the ceiling, arm crossed and shoulder rested against the door frame. Itachi made his way over once he was finished.

"Ready."

Nodding slightly, Kakashi pulled open the door; locking it firmly behind them, he led the way down the hall, posture straighter than usual as befit his current uniform.

Minato greeted them cordially, looking at ease in his own dress wear. His wife hovered at his side, her greeting more enthusiastic (as usual) and involving a bone-crushing hug bestowed on Kakashi.

Kakashi pried her off gently after a moment.

"Good to see you, too, Kushina," he nodded, eyes crinkling faintly.

"You have to come over for dinner more often, and bring Itachi here with you," she insisted, smiling over at the Uchiha.

"I'll keep it in mind," Kakashi hummed noncommitally, turning back to Minato. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Ah, just mingle a bit. Get some food, enjoy yourself a little," Minato shrugged, smiling. "I think Asuma and Kurenai are here...there were quite a few others invited as well. I'm sure they'll show up."

Brow arching faintly, Kakashi let the blonde man and his wife herd himself and Itachi around the party. There were quite a few familiar faces indeed, including most of the people from his class at the academy. It made it a little easier to relax, for him and Itachi both (half of the group were in and out of Kakashi's shop constantly, so the Uchiha was familiar with them), but he was still uneasy, especially when it came time to greet the political higher-ups in attendance.

Itachi watched him interact with the men politely and sighed slightly; some of their acts were so ridiculously put on for show. It was easy to tell those who were legitimately interested in funding for veteran affairs from those who simply wanted another philanthropic cause to add to their resume. On occasion, he was recognized for his role in the military police's special operations division and in the Uchiha clan, and he joined Kakashi in the political dance that always followed.

It felt like a small eternity later that Minato took the podium on the stage of the gathering hall and called for everyone to take seats so that the ceremony could proceed. Kakashi excused himself to the bathroom at about the same time, murmuring a request for Itachi to save him a seat

Before Itachi could protest, he was gone, disappearing into the shuffling crowd, and then Kakashi's boisterous friend Gai caught his arm and led him over to a row full of Kakashi's comrades. Sighing to himself, the Uchiha settled beside him, saving an end seat for Kakashi and glancing up at the podium as the crowd settled and quieted.

"Thank you. Now then, we might as well get the ball rolling. I believe Councilor Komura had a few words he wanted to share with us all..."

Several speeches by members of various branches of the government followed, full of political witticisms and suitably inspiring quotes. Itachi sighed silently and shifted a bit, glancing around for any sign of Kakashi, who had yet to rejoin him. It was starting to worry him a little.

Finally, Minato took the podium again, just as Itachi had about decided to go looking for Kakashi; he hesitated and then sat down again. It was usually worth listening to the blonde man, and he trusted that Kakashi could take care of himself if it meant he could finally see the end of this event.

"Thank you for those inspiring words, Councilor. We look forward to your continued support of the special operations division," Minato said, shuffling a pile of paper a bit on the podium and then resting his hands on either side of it. "I think it's time we moved on to tonight's main event, so to speak. It's no coincidence that all of these brave men and women are gathered here this evening. They all belong to a particularly outstanding class of shinobi. Each of them have distinguished themselves numerous times in the field, and all of them are decorated veterans, some still in active service and others retired to raise families. I think all of them will agree, however, that one of their number in particular has truly gone above and beyond again and again in his determination to defend this country and its ideals. I know that I certainly owe him my life, and he has saved the lives of my son and wife many times over. The sacrifices he has made of himself to continue to fulfill his duties are truly too great to fathom..."

Itachi tilted his head slightly, listening to the blonde man wax eloquent about this mystery soldier and his achievements and the many lives he had saved at the risk of his own; he glanced over at the line of men and women sitting alongside him questioningly. Most of them had faraway looks on their faces, some of them smiling and others looking nostalgic. At his side, Gai was sitting uncommonly still, his expression serious and full of something like pride.

"...really, we would be here all night if I attempted to describe all of the many services this man has done for us, so without further ado, I would like to award this medal of honor, the highest honor our government can award, to Hatake Kakashi." Minato paused, his eyes scanning the crowd as a round of applause filled the air. "...Kakashi?"

Itachi glanced over at the empty seat beside him as the crowd quieted again, a wave of murmuring rising to fill the silence following the applause. He turned to Gai and the others, eyes questioning and a little urgent.

Asuma was rubbing the back of his head, rolling his eyes; at his side, Kurenai was shaking her head and sighing. Further down, Genma was passing over a small wad of bills to Anko, grumbling to himself.

"Kakashi? Hm...he was here earlier," Minato mused at the podium, playing it off with the ease of a practiced politician.

Gai suddenly stood beside Itachi, hands at his side as he marched up to the stage; he bowed to Minato as he stepped onto the stage.

"Kakashi had an emergency come up. Please forgive his absence," the man said, somehow managing to look authoritative, even in his oddly accented-with-green uniform and bowl cut. "He asked that I accept this honor for him."

Itachi caught the brief drop of Minato's shoulders and the faint upward curve of his mouth as he sighed and nodded slightly.

"Of course. Thank you for filling in for him, Gai."

Nodding, Gai accepted the small, lacquered box, posing with Minato for the pictures and the remainder of the speech. Once it was over, the ceremony was swiftly adjourned, and Itachi hurried to catch up to Gai as he dismounted the stage.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" Itachi asked him, frowning deeply.

Gai chuckled and clapped Itachi on the back.

"Itachi, my youthful friend, this is always what happens when the government attempts to award my rival an honor," he explained, his voice a little less booming than usual (perhaps his attempt at being discrete, with the slightly miffed politicians still milling around). "Alas, but Kakashi is not fond of being 'rewarded for doing his job,' as he puts it."

"Yes, but...a medal of honor," Itachi murmured, glancing at the box. "And he's received all the other decorations Minato mentioned...I've never seen them around the apartment, come to think of it. I had no idea..."

Gai met his gaze a moment firmly.

"You have never seen them because Kakashi refuses to accept them. I keep them for him in a cabinet in my apartment, alongside my own. He has threatened on more than one occasion to destroy them otherwise."

Itachi blinked; he had known Kakashi was a humble man, and that he liked to keep his personal life and his time in the service separate, but he hadn't known that his aversions went to this extent.

"I see...thank you for telling me, Gai-san," Itachi nodded thoughtfully, glancing around the crowd; he wondered now where the Hatake was hiding, because he knew he wouldn't have left without him. Pulling out his phone, he bade Gai goodbye and then headed out ofthe hall before he could be stopped by any of the other guests, milling around sipping champagne.

 **Where are you? -Itachi**

 **In the car. -Kakashi**

Sighing to himself, he pocketed his phone and then made his way toward the parking lot. He slid into the passenger side of Kakashi's car, looking over at the man settled behind the wheel, turning the key in the ignition as Itachi buckled up.

"...I did some truly terrible things during my time in ANBU," Kakashi said quietly as he drove; they were nearly halfway home by then. "Things I don't like to be reminded of...and things I won't tolerate being rewarded for. I did what I did because it was necessary, not because I was hoping for glory and honor at the end of the day."

Itachi looked over at him solemnly.

"...I understand," he said at length, reaching over to take one of Kakashi's hands from the steering wheel and twine their fingers firmly. Not for the first time, he found himself marveling at how extraordinary this man really was; it made him swell with pride on Kakashi's behalf as much as it made his chest ache with sorrow at what he'd been through. He felt incredibly lucky to have been accepted by this man so completely, though he would never say as much aloud. Instead, he simply murmured, "...I love you," and tightened his grip.

Kakashi glanced over at him and sighed, squeezing back once as he shifted his grip on the wheel to compensate for the occupation of his other hand.

"I don't know why sometimes..." he muttered. "...I love you, too."

Itachi brushed a kiss to his knuckles and turned his gaze back to the road.

 _There are too many reasons and too few words..._

~fin~


End file.
